Both the Stars and Predators are coming off their first victories of the season

Dallas Stars at Nashville Predators

About the Stars

The Stars (1-2-0) won their first game of the season Tuesday, defeating the Detroit Red Wings, 4-2, at American Airlines Center. The Stars led 2-0 after the first period and held off a late push by Detroit. John Klingberg and Mattias Janmark both had one goal, one assist and Ben Bishop stopped 23 of 25 shots.

"To have the record we're at, I know everything isn't fair, but it would have felt poorly to not finish this one off," said coach Ken Hitchcock. "We've played three games, except for four or five minutes, close to our identity. You want to see the guys get rewarded for that and tonight they were."

The Stars have outshot their opponents 119-76 through three games, and have a 208-155 advantage in shot attempts.

Dan Hamhuis, who missed Tuesday's game with a groin injury, practiced Wednesday but is not expected to play Thursday.

The Stars likely will go with the same lineup as Tuesday and Bishop will start in goal, Hitchcock said.

The Stars play Thursday in Nashville and then return home to take on Colorado Saturday.

Injuries: Dan Hamhuis (groin) is day to day.

About the Predators

The Predators (1-2-0) won their first game of the season, defeating Philadelphia, 6-5, in Nashville Tuesday. The Predators jumped out to a 3-0 lead, gave up the next five goals to fall behind 5-3 and then rallied to win, tying the game on the power play with 1:17 left and then winning it on a Filip Forsberg power play goal with 36 seconds remaining.

"I'm confused, like everyone else probably is. It started off really good, playing great," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. "The bottom line is, I think from after the 12-minute mark until after the 40-minute mark, we weren't very good; we needed to be better. But you definitely have to like the resiliency and the fight back."

Defenseman Roman Josi and forward Colton Sissons both missed Tuesday's game due to lower-body injuries. Both are day to day. Forward Kevin Fiala returned after missing one game with an upper-body injury.

Thursday's game concludes a two-game homestand for the Predators who then hit the road for four straight games.

Season Series

This is the first of four meetings between the Stars and Predators this season.

The Stars were 2-3-0 (4 points) against Nashville last season.

The Predators were 3-2-0 (6 points) vs. Dallas last season.

Statistical Tidbits

Stars coach Ken Hitchcock (782 wins) will move into third all-time on the NHL coaching wins list with the Stars' next victory. He is currently tied with Al Arbour.

The Stars are 3-11 (27.3 percent) on the power play through three games.

The Predators are 5-16 (31.3 percent) on the power play through three games.

The Stars are 12-14 (85.7 percent) on the penalty kill.

The Predators are 12-15 (80.0 percent) on the penalty kill.

The Stars are averaging 39.7 shots per game.

The Predators are allowing 32.0 shots per game.

Defenseman John Klingberg leads the Stars in scoring with four points (two goals, two assists).

Forward Filip Forsberg (three goals, one assist) and defensemen P.K. Subban (four assists) lead the Predators in scoring with four points.

Stars goaltender Ben Bishop has stopped 42 of 44 shots (.955 save percentage) in his first two games.

This story was not subject to approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club. Mark Stepneski is an independent writer whose posts on DallasStars.com reflect his own opinions and do not represent official statements from the Dallas Stars. You can follow Mark on Twitter @StarsInsideEdge.